Age/Motivation
One of the big issues with Mike Norvell's staff over the past few years has been their age and inability to connect with high school players. The problem is two of the three guys Mike Norvell fired were under 50 years old.
Gus Malzahn is 59 years old and leaving a head coaching job for a lesser role. I mentioned Malzahn didn't have to be an ace recruiter. I think he'll be competent, at least, but what's the motivation here?
He started off strong at UCF the first two seasons (18-9) but seemed to lose his mojo, going 10-15 over the last two years. Was he fed up with head coaching duties and wanted the singular focus of running an offense, which was his calling card, before becoming a head coach?
If that's the case, fine.
However, did he contact Mike Norvell about the job because he was in danger of getting fired from UCF? Mike Norvell mentioned finding the right guys for the job in his press conference after the Florida game. However, it's also about finding the right guys who want the job for the right reasons.